Bringing your own gear for an OW Class

[Bill_PNW_Diver]

Correct Jim,
The gear for the class (except for mask, fin, snorkel, gloves & hood) was packaged with the class.

 

[Bill_PNW_Diver]

"If you want to pass the class the way it's intended, DON"T CHEAT. At a High School or College, students get expelled for possession of a test in advance, yet you think it's OK to do this for a class that certifies you to explore an alien environment!"

Halemano,
My intention is not to cheat on the exam. I am using this (and other) material for reference and study.

Considering that, at the dive site that we do our first OW dive, there has been 4 preventable diving fatalities over the last 6 months I take the safety of myself, my buddy, and the other divers around me very seriously.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Halemano, a person can be more knowledgable to memorize a statement, than take a test.
who would need a teacher if done so, there is no cheating on planet earth its just made up like,if you dive alone your gonna hurt yourself.

They teach underwater photography that is solo diving for the most part.

 

[fisherdvm]

But Halemano is right, if a DM or instructor got certified becaused he bought these PADI exams on ebay. Do an old search on ebay, and you will note that folks have bought OW, rescue, and DM exam from a frequent dealer there. At the OW level, it doesn't bug me too much. But at the higher level, what's the point of cheating? Will that make you a better instructor?

Again, the SSI exam I have in my possession was handed out to me, and again to my son.... It was never intended to be a proctored or close book exam. So I don't feel too guilty sharing it with someone who might benefit from using it to brush up their dive skill.

I, like many others, have copied pages from our OW and rescue book, to hand them in at the end of courses. In the same way, I preserved the SSI exam so I can retest my son before we go diving the next season. We have little quizzes on the way to school, and I can tell you, he will have his 5 points of ascent and 5 points of descent so memorized, that you will not see him shooting to the surface at breaking speed.

 

[Jim Kerr]

Correct Jim,
The gear for the class (except for mask, fin, snorkel, gloves & hood) was packaged with the class.

That's a no brainer then Bill. Use the gear that's provided for the class and buy your own gear from whom ever when you're done. There's no issue here. The gear that's used for classes should be adequate but may be a bit worn out if they've been in use for awhile. Some good friends of mine just opened up a shop here in Ca and since they've been open less than a year all their class gear is "Brand New"!

Keep in mind Bill that an LDS does not charge much for classes in "hopes" that you will buy your gear from them when you're certified. They do not make very much on the classes at all. They depend on gear sales to keep the doors open. If they can't keep the doors open, who's going to service the equipment?

Also keep in mind that you're taking an OW certification class as a uncertified new student, not as a certified diver taking a refresher course. You "will" get a new C-card with a new certification date when you're finished. I can perfectly understand why an LDS would not want their new "uncertified" students to bring in their own gear for all the reasons already metioned. In this case, I "buy" the insurance reasons excuse.

 

[Jim Kerr]

But Halemano is right, if a DM or instructor got certified becaused he bought these PADI exams on ebay. Do an old search on ebay, and you will note that folks have bought OW, rescue, and DM exam from a frequent dealer there. At the OW level, it doesn't bug me too much. But at the higher level, what's the point of cheating? Will that make you a better instructor?

I think a better definition would be: Incompetent, Unqualified and Dangerous. Keep in mind they still have to pass a skills test but I've seen DM's that slid thru because they were friends of the instructor. I am about to (finally) take my Rescue and EFR courses thru an instructor I know not to be too accommodating, which is why I chose her. When her husband was going for his DM, she was his instructor and would not let him slide on anything! When I take a course I take it seriously, and when I receive my C-card I want to know that I "earned" it.

When Bill takes the OW course, he's going to have to do all of the required work in the book and do all the skills tests just like everyone else. Don't forget that Bill "is" certified and does not have to take this course but wants to for several reasons. I don't think cheating is an issue here.

 

[rligon]

Maybe I just got lucky in my OW LDS. The shop provided all of the gear as needed, but encouraged us to bring any of our own gear. Their goal was to teach us to be able to go out and dive comfortably and safely, and if they could help familiarize us with the gear we would actually be using then they were glad to take the time to do it. All of the instructors and divemasters have continued to be available to us, and are glad to give ongoing advice and assistance. So it has made getting into diving a lot less stressful and more fun.

 

[Gombessa]

A friend of mine recently got flak for renting gear for his checkout dive from a dive shop closer to the dive site (~100 miles away). The thing is, the shop he rented from and the local shop he took instruction from are both owned by the same guy, and have the same name.

SO....I'm not too surprised to hear this kind of thing is happening, although I share the sentiment of others that instructors should ideally be happier to teach you how to dive in the gear you'll be regularly using.

 

[Bill_PNW_Diver]

Thanks everybody for the advice and help.

I will obviously continue to take the OW class at this LDS but will probably look elsewhere for my gear and future training. From reading your replies and various posts on the board it's becoming apparent that many dive shops are having difficulty making ends meet and are using any means possible, right or wrong, to stay afloat.

If anyone in the Seattle area has a suggestion on a honest and reputable LDS, please PM me.

Bill

 

[Lead_carrier]

Our local SSI instructor (s) hands the test out to the students. I don't agree with this mentality, but it is the way how it is done. The test is for him to prepare for the refresher class, and feel confident about his knowledge. When I took the SSI refresher class, they gave me a copy of the exam to take as an open book test. When my son took his SSI OW course, it was also a take home test. But I made him take the test without referring to the book.
.

If your SSI instructor and shope hand out the test to take home and take, IMHO, find another shop. If they can't teach the material well enough to get you through an SSI test without it being open book, they don't deserve to be instructing and the shop doesn't deserve to be operating if they know a about it. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. And yes, I am an SSI instructor so I am a bit familar with the test.